Blackbird Cream Tea & Scones

Our first experience of real cream tea and scones (pronounced scawnes according to Rich) was in a tiny café in Northern England near the lush rolling landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales. We couldn’t believe that something so simple could be such an institution amongst locals, but after one taste it kind of made sense.

There’s something comforting about a perfectly baked scone–not too sweet, not too dense but also not too fluffy; moist but sturdy enough to hold hefty dollops of cream and jam. It’s not an easy task to perfect the scone, but it seems the bakers at Blackbird have done just that, thanks to a Welsh family recipe–and biting into their fresh-out-of-the-oven scone brought us back to the brisk Northern countryside; the sheep out to pasture, the river valleys and the hills that funnel the crisp winds that cut to the bone.

It was a brisk autumn day here in Lausanne, so the warm tea and scones were a welcomed afternoon reprieve from the foreshadowing winter winds. Upstairs in their charming dining area, we found a little nook, caught up with friends, and read our newspaper as the chatter of the lunch crowd began to transform into the light murmurs of the late afternoon coffee & tea goers.

We couldn’t think of a better time of the year for Blackbird Coffee & Breakfast Club to introduce this simple and scrumptious tradition. Blackbird’s cream tea & scones are served with confiture and double cream from Gruyère (oh sweet goodness) along with a variety of Tea Pigs tea (we recommend the Earl Grey or English breakfast) and are available on weekdays from 2pm until 5:30pm. We really want you to try them out for yourself, so Blackbird is giving away Tea for Two for three lucky winners! To win, leave a comment below with your favorite tea time indulgence; whether it’s a sweet treat, reading the newspaper, or blasting Beethoven from your stereo, let us know what you do to unwind when you sit down with a hot cuppa. Good luck!

Comments

I love to sit with my love around the hearth in the warm glow of the fire, with the fabulous Marco Polo black tea from Mariage Frères, candy suggar, scones and home-made apple and cinnamon compote, just being together and listening to the rain and some fine pieces of jazz music.

Favourite indulgence is to have a little quiet dance to some oldy but goody jazz tunes while taking breaks between songs for tiny sandwiches and pastries. There are many Sunday afternoon tea-time dances in Switzerland it seems.

Having read the post, I decided to try making my own scones. And so, my answer to the question how I like to unwind with a cuppa; with rock solid, slightly burned scones! Oh well, at least the tea was a delight 🙂